[Home]Brew Review: Sunken Ship Porter

When the weather gets cold, Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald is one of my go to beers. With that in mind, I wanted to give it a shot making my own version of it. I knew I’d never be able to actually match what they had done, but to have a version of it to call my own, that was something I wanted to try. I dubbed it Sunken Ship Porter in honor of the beer I was attempting to emulate.

After browsing many websites looking for a clone recipe, I finally patched a few together and was able to create my own. Here’s what I came up with for a 2 gallon batch with a 1-step mash and a 60 minute boil:

Right off the bat, you can see that the original gravity was way, way off. I have since figured out that it’s just my equipment isn’t going to give me great efficiency. I mean, I’m using a Graniteware pot on an electric stove, so I’ve come to terms with that and have since formulated my recipes accordingly. At 75% efficiency you hit the right gravities, but I’m lingering closer to around 63% at this point in time.

On to how my Sunken Ship Porter came out. The beer was definitely a bit thin in mouthfeel, so maybe adding oats next time around (or just hitting gravities, making it heavier) would be a good idea. It has a light chocolate aroma, again here you can tell that the beer is on the thin side, but it’s a pleasant, chocolatey smell. The thinness of the beer also takes away from the flavor, but again you’ve got light chocolate notes, with a nice, roasty finish. All of the flavors are there, really, just muted. It’s an enjoyable beer for sure, and I’ll be keeping this recipe around. However, next time around I’ll be focusing on the body and mouthfeel of this rather tasty brew.